A list of the top 12 Sketchup Plugins that will allow you to do advanced modelling in Sketchup

Architects and designers have overwhelmingly used Sketchup for creating 3D models and rendering them. As a beginner, you can easily get the hang of it due to its simple tools and interface.

Sketchup plugins are built by users who noticed that the default Sketchup tools had some shortcomings and decided to resolve those shortcomings by creating their own plugins for Sketchup.

In order to achieve faster and better results, it is now necessary to use such plugins. These are the top Sketchup plugins that will make your life much easier when it comes to advanced modelling.

1. Quadface Tools

There are a series of toolsets within the QuadFace Tools package that allow you to handle non-planar quads in SketchUp. A useful feature of QuadFace Tools for Sketchup is the ability to create logical quad-based topologies, which can then be applied to ring selections and loop selections like those in other 3D modelling packages. With the plugin, loops and rings can be automatically generated as well as loops and UV mapping can be included or eliminated.

2. Soap bubble

A new plugin for Sketchup called Soap Skin & Bubble is one of the most exciting developments in Sketchup in quite some time. In order to create a multifaceted face inside the confines of a closed group of three or more lines, modellers will have to utilize the free plugin which allows them to sketch a face within the confines of the closed group of three or more lines.

There is no magic involved here, it's as simple as selecting the lines, starting up the plugin, telling it how many faces you want to include in the new face, and then sitting back and watching it work its magic. A new face can also be inflated or deflated after it has been created through the plugin if you so desire.

3. Cloth works

The ClothWorks extension for SketchUp allows you to simulate cloth in 3D. This is a general-purpose cloth and string simulator that you can use to design interiors and exteriors of your house using SketchUp. There are a variety of flags, curtains, tablecloths, pillows, and wires you can simulate with ClothWorks.

4. Skatter 2

The Skatter 2.0 Scattering Extension for SketchUp has been released, making it one of the most powerful Scattering Extensions available. Using SketchUp, you will be able to render huge amounts of vegetation, populate city blocks quickly, and create parametric assemblies, crowds, and carpets, all from within the software.

5. Round Corner

Using RoundCorner you will be able to round the corners and edges of 3D shapes based on a 2D profile, with three modes: rounding the corners, sharpening the corners, and beveling the corners. In addition to concave corners which are always rendered as round, this SketchUp extension also supports non-orthogonal edge faces and concave corners.

6. Bezier Spline

It is a free extension created by Fredo6 for SketchUp which allows you to create a variety of curves in SketchUp as part of the Spline toolbox. The great thing about this extension is that you will also be able to make changes to curves that you have already created. You do not have to delete and redraw curves to make changes to them, so you will no longer need to remove and redraw curves.

7. Curviloft

Curviloft is an extension for SketchUp that assists you in creating skins in SketchUp in two different ways. It provides surfaces that can be generated from contours, as well as skins over frames, both of which can be created in SketchUp. In addition to creating skins, this extension is able to create contour lines from the faces that are created, in addition to creating skins.

8. Ray tracer

In Raytracer, every CPoint in a selection is shot with a specific number of rays in every direction, according to the number of rays configured by the user. It is possible to trace the rays that hit something using CLines and CPoints that are grouped together.

9. Joint push pull Tool

The Joint Push Pull extension for SketchUp contains a number of tools that are intended to extend the functionality of the face extrusion feature in Fredo6. Basically, what this means is that you now have the option of pushing and pulling multiple surfaces within SketchUp curved surfaces.

To learn more, watch the following video tutorial.

Video Source: TutorialsUp

10. Cleanup 3

There is a new version of the Cleanup Plugin available called V3. As of version 4.3, the main function of the Cleanup Plugin is to delete hidden or unused objects that are present in the SketchUp file in order to clean it.

11. Transmuter

You can apply advanced capabilities like geometry simplification, automated render-ready materials, proxy files, scaling, unit conversion, axe and origin transformations, to name a few, while converting different 3D formats into SketchUp files with Transmuter.

12. JHS Powertools

By going to the help menu of CadFather Pack, and selecting Powerbar Icons, you are able to adjust the number of tools that show up in your toolbar. A total of three tools are included in the package. They are the smoothing and unsoftening tools from AMS, the Smooze tools, and the soften to quadrants tool. All three are used to soften and unsoften hidden geometry.